A nice new product we have come across for our dental and medical fitouts recently is switchable glass. It’s a product that used to be unaffordable in commercial premises but like many things has become less expensive in recent times.

The glass contains liquid crystals which make it opaque. It is available in a range of shades.

When the liquid crystals are powered with an electrical current they go clear making the glass transparent. It doesn’t actually go completely clear. There is a slight haze but it is still very impressive. In some models it is possible to have a ‘dimmer’ that adjusts the level of transparency of the glass.

The glass can be connected to a normal switch or remote control so that the specialist can press a button to switch between clear and private in the consulting room.

The switch glass can be ordered as full glass panels (higher quality) for about $2,000 per square metre, or as retrofit tinting (lower quality) that can be applied onto existing glass for about $1,000 per square metre. Also allow the cost of getting power to the glass. This varies depending on where they are, and obviously fixed panels are easier to get power to than doors.

1. Ceilings – I suggest using mostly acoustic grid ceilings in the hallway and dental or doctor’s treatment rooms, and a nice painted set ceiling in the reception and waiting area. This is a cost-effective compromise.

2. Choose the right equipment early – There are many choices for quality dental equipment in Sydney. We are familiar with most brands including Sirona, A-Dec, Belmont, Cattani and others and receive good feedback from our dentists on most of them. The surgery fitout needs to be set up for your specific dental equipment. The plumbing connections, mounts and electrical fittings all need to be installed in the right part of the treatment room or OPG room at the beginning of the fitout.

3. Flooring – Worth spending a little bit more for a high-quality floor in your surgery. Find a quality product that can be replaced in strips later if damaged. And check the slip rating. It should be R9 or R10.

4. Joinery – We have designed our custom dental and medical joinery using 30 years’ of experience. Always use a specialised dental or medical joinery provider to ensure quality and ergonomics in the treatment room.

5. Read the Scope of Works carefully – In most cases we have many many conversations about different ideas with our dentist, doctor or practice manager clients. All these ideas eventually get sifted and sorted and we end up with a Scope of Works for the project. You need to read it carefully to understand the final version of what’s in and what’s out.

6. Make sure your builder stays on schedule – Time is money. If your project runs late it will cost you money up front and also in the future. Make sure your dental fitout company sticks to the timeframe and help them to do so by being available and organised with your decisions and selection.

We recently completed a nice medical centre fitout in Woy Woy, on the Central Coast. The premises are consulting rooms for neuroscience specialists. Please have a look in our gallery page for a few photos. I particularly like the colour scheme of this fitout.

A special feature of the fitout was the external panelling that you can see in the photos. The panels are actually made of clad aluminium so the wood look will not fade or deteriorate. The panels provide good light as well as protection for the elements as well as shade when needed. I also like the artwork that the client has put in this fitout. I encourage our clients to spend a little bit of money of some quality artwork to really finish off their dental or medical fitout nicely. We have connections with a couple of galleries and photographers and can help with this if our clients would like us to.

We recently completed a beautiful medical consulting rooms fitout for a Gastroenterologist in Bella Vista, in Northwest Sydney.

The design inspiration was a joint effort between ourselves and the clients. High quality veneer panelling makes up a large part of the reception area back wall, concealing vast storage with top end hardware. The glass panelling throughout the fitout gives a great sense of light and transparency whilst maintaining privacy for the patients and health care professionals. In this medical fitout, we had to combine lots of design ideas into the space and also ensure we kept to the client’s budget. We finished on time and on budget and it’s one of our favourite fitouts this year.

We noticed that the number of our female clients was growing. We wondered if it was just us or if there was a trend. So we looked into it to make sure our dental fitout company truly knew our clients and their needs.

It turns out we were right. Upon surveying our complete database including past and present clients and all dentists that we have in our database over the last 10 years that the dental workforce has seen a huge increase in the number of women dentists. In 2008 women made up 39% of dentists within our client base. Today that number is 47%. And interestingly among dentists under 35, about 55% are female.

We did some broader research and found that in Europe it is suggested that currently about 60% of dentists are women, with the top number being 74% in Finland.

So we wondered why this is the case and what should we do to make sure our dental fitout design and construction company is making the most of this opportunity.

Possible reasons include that fact that dentistry allows greater flexibility with working hours than many other professions. I also think that many patients just feel more relaxed being treated by a female dentist.

For us I think it means we need to communicate clearly with our clients. Our female clients are often more in tune with the design process and provide excellent ideas in this area. If we can provide a good channel of communication during the design phase it will help us meet our client expectations. Male clients are less interested in the design we find.

Of course we enjoy equally working with both male and female clients and will always strive to tailor our fitout designs and construction to best suit each client.

One thing that has changed significantly in our surgery designs in recent years has been the lighting.

Dramatic or stylish lighting used to be very expensive. Nowadays we can achieve great lighting in our dental and medical surgery fitouts at a fraction of the cost.

Strip lighting is a revelation. The use of strip lighting above work areas such as in sterilization areas, in OPG rooms or in the treatment rooms looks great and is very ergonomic. We also use it in reception areas and for feature lighting. Quality lighting products always cost a little more but the overall price is still very cheap compared to older lighting solutions. The fitment is also much easier and further reduces cost.

Obviously, new lighting designs are very efficient, and use very little power.

Some other design elements which are increasingly common in high quality stylish fitouts are new ranges of laminates. High gloss designs are easily available and create the best looking dental surgery designs and fitouts. Traditionally we manage a trade-off between the hard-wearing characteristics of laminates with the superior aesthetics of painted surfaces. Now we use almost exclusively laminates which can be ordered in an endless range of finishes and patterns. They look amazing and are very hard-wearing.

We normally suggest predominantly white with some selected features of colour, coupled with great lighting. Every dentist or medical practitioner has their own tastes of course, and we are happy to design something great looking for everyone’s preferences.

Here are our 3 top tips to help you save money in your dental or medical fitout.

1. Stick to the timeline – The biggest cost blowout that most dentists and doctors encounter is not a monetary budget blowout, it’s a time blowout. From the time you have decided to open you practice until the day you see your first patient, it’s a race against the clock. If it takes you 20 weeks for your dental or medical fitout to be complete instead of 10 then you have lost tens of thousands of dollars. So, despite most practitioners needing to run existing practices whilst setting up new ones, try to be available during the day to keep things moving. Tell architects, town planners, real estate agents and construction companies when you are available and return calls promptly to keep things moving. Make decisions carefully but promptly.

2. Be functional in your design – Don’t try to design an Armani showroom where you really need a functional dental surgery. Research has told us many times that patients want clean, light and efficient spaces where staff are calm and friendly. Spend your money wisely on items that benefit the client experience and you will reap the rewards.

3. Resist variations along the way – Some people believe that building contractors take advantage of clients that request variations after the contract has been signed. This is not my experience very often. But it is a fact that efficient building relies on significant forward planning and doing things in the most cost-effective order. If the client changes items in the fitout mid-way through it often effects the overall efficiency of the job and therefore is disproportionately expensive to accommodate these changes. The costs need to be passed on. You are best served to design the practice carefully and try to stick to the plan once underway. If you do need to change something, as builders we are extremely happy to accommodate but need to pass on the costs.

We are now required to engage a certified fire engineer to map out the fire provisions for new fitouts, even those fitouts that are completed as Complying Developments. We have found a couple of good engineers and have negotiated a volume discount.

If you are looking at a new dental or medical fitout project, be very careful about fire provisions. If you are leasing a premises make sure you know what is included, and not included in your lease. And if you are comparing quotes from fitout companies, make sure you check what fire provisions are included. A fire extinguisher here and there is no big deal, but those sprinkler systems are expensive!

Larger Dental Surgery Fitouts in Sydney

We anticipate the number of new dental surgeries in Sydney will continue to grow as governments become more aware of the state of our teeth, and society further promotes unhealthy teeth through so-called ‘sugar addiction’.

Recent research in England shows that 170 teenagers a day in the UK are having operations to remove teeth that have been rotted due to excessive sugar consumption. Society in Australia is very similar.

The issue is completely preventable by regular dental visits and education.

Governments are talking about a sugar tax. Hopefully this revenue would be used to support patients in accessing dental services.

We are increasingly constructing large new dental surgeries with multiple treatment rooms. There is a need for low cost basic dental care. If delivered efficiently in a well designed dental surgery with a considered fitout, this type of offering is proving to be a profitable business model that is also serving a community need.

Making the most out of your premises takes careful design. And we must also build to a sensible budget to ensure that the capital outlaid is proportional to the subsequent revenue.